Catherine O’Hara’s Candid Remarks On The ‘Darkness In Life’ Resurfaces

A day following the death of Catherine O’Hara, an old interview from her “Beetlejuice” era is resurfacing, and her words at the moment are resonating with renewed depth. O’Hara died Friday on the age of 71. Hours after the news was made public, it was confirmed that she passed away “after a transient illness.” News of Catherine O’Hara’s death has sent fans and Hollywood alike digging through her past interviews and performances, with one message standing out loud and clear. As many know, her humor was never about escaping life, but about facing it head-on. Catherine O’Hara repeatedly spoke about comedy as a approach to confront life’s darker moments, a mindset that now feels strikingly personal in light of her passing.

While promoting “Beetlejuice,” O’Hara reflected candidly on life’s darker realities and the role humor plays in helping people navigate them. “Life is dark. There’s lots of darkness and scary stuff in life,” she said on the time. “It’s hard to grow up, and it’s hard to be a grown-up, to cope with life. But… with the ability to discover a approach to laugh on the darkness in life is just one of the best gift we could possibly be given.”

After hearing her words, fans flooded the comments, writing things akin to “RIP our millennial mom for us 90s babies,” and “I bet she laughed till the very end. What a present she gave us all.”

One other fan chimed in with, “Rest in Peace to such a light-weight on this world,” as another person expressed, “It feels as losing my favorite Aunt.”

Additional details surrounding O’Hara’s death were later shared by the Los Angeles Fire Department. A spokesperson told PEOPLE that emergency responders were dispatched to O’Hara’s home at roughly 4:48 a.m. on Friday for an “roughly 70-year-old” woman. The person, believed to be O’Hara, was transported to a close-by hospital in serious condition.

In response to LAFD dispatch audio, the person on the residence was experiencing respiratory difficulties on the time of the decision.

The news of O’Hara’s death has hit Hollywood hard, with friends and colleagues expressing shock and heartbreak.

Macaulay Culkin, who played her on-screen son, Kevin McCallister, in the vacation classic “Home Alone,” shared a deeply emotional tribute on Instagram, alongside side-by-side photos of himself and O’Hara, one from the film and one other taken in 2023.

“Mama. I believed we had time,” Culkin wrote. “I wanted more. I wanted to sit down in a chair next to you. I heard you, but I had so far more to say. I really like you. I’ll goodbye.”

More tributes from Hollywood’s biggest names have continued to roll in, including one from actor Michael Keaton, who shared a transient but devastating message on X, writing, “Just one Catherine O’Hara, and now none. Heartbreaking.”

Pedro Pascal, who worked alongside O’Hara on HBO’s “The Last of Us,” also posted an emotional tribute on Instagram, sharing a photograph of the 2 together on set.

“Oh, genius to be near you. Eternally grateful,” Pascal wrote. “There may be less light in my world, this lucky world that had you, will keep you, at all times. At all times [red heart emoji].”

O’Hara made her final public appearance just 4 months before her death, stepping onto considered one of Hollywood’s biggest stages.

The actress last appeared publicly on the Emmy Awards on September 14, 2025, where she attended alongside her longtime husband, Bo Welch. O’Hara was a double nominee that night, earning recognition for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series for “The Last of Us,” in addition to Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for “The Studio.”

Just days later, O’Hara made one other notable appearance in September 2025 while accepting a lifetime achievement award on the Toronto International Film Festival, a moment that celebrated her decades-long impact on film and tv.

An actual reason behind death has yet to be confirmed.